Ref. 28614-79BURGLARS are using a cycle path to get access to homes and gardens.

Now residents are calling for the path, which runs between Shrivenham Road and Marlowe Avenue, to be closed.

Householders say the situation has got so bad that they no longer feel safe.

In recent months, homes and sheds backing onto the route, have been broken into, vehicles damaged and graffiti sprayed on the side of buildings.

Peter and Jennifer Thelwall of Shrivenham Road have been burgled twice in the last six months.

In August, the home they share with their three children was ransacked, and around £2,000 worth of electrical appliances stolen.

The most recent break-in happened on Friday night, when thieves stole four mountain bikes and a scooter from their greenhouse.

The theft upset the family because one of the bikes was a birthday gift from a grandparent who died recently. The bike was given to the couple's daughter Kimberly, eight, by Mr Thelwall's mother Geraldine, who died 18-months ago from heart problems

Mr Thelwall, 46, a Honda worker, said: "The bike wasn't worth that much, but it had great sentimental value.

"My mother gave it to Kimberly for her sixth birthday, when she had just learned to ride.

"Kimberly was very close to her nan, and always said she never wanted to get rid of it, even when she grew up."

The other bikes belonged to Mr Thelwall's two other children, Sabrina, 15, and Mark, 13.

Mrs Thelwall, 42, said: "We don't feel safe.

"Sometimes we see people in the garden, it's an invasion of our privacy.

"We have now fitted an alarm system, with a panic button which switches on all the alarms if you press it.

"I just want this path closed altogether."

Their neighbours Maria and Angelo Carchedi also want it closed.

Their daughter's car was broken into while parked in their drive recently, and a CD player and two laptops taken.

Their home has also been sprayed with graffiti and vandals have slashed their car tyres.

Mrs Carchedi, 48, said: "The council should either close the path or put up security fences to protect our homes. Before the path was built it was an area of scrub land which was closed to the public, and we didn't get these problems."

Swindon police declined to comment on the problems.

Council spokesman Gavin Calthrop said: "Swindon Borough Council has not been made aware of any problems with this cyclepath but is always willing to listen to any concerns local people may have. Illuminating the cycle path is one of the options being actively considered as part of the redevelopment plans for the area."

Tamash Lal